S. Korea launches social movement for candid dialogue on N. Korea
- 6 years ago
Civic groups from across the political spectrum are forming dialogue sessions to understand different views and opinions on unification with North Korea.
It's part of President Moon's plans to form a consensus on unification policy.
Oh Jung-hee tells us more.
South Korea's conservatives and liberals are coming together to have open conversations about their different views on North Korea... and set the foundations for possible unification.
Major civic groups from both sides of the political spectrum as well as neutrals and religious groups launched a civilian movement last week... to promote a social dialogue on unification.
Each session of social dialogue brings almost a hundred ordinary citizens and activists together... for a frank chat on North Korea and the future of the two Koreas.
The ultimate aim of this joint movement by the government and civil society is to come up with a 'National Unification Contract'-- President Moon Jae-in's goal of forming a public consensus on unification and North Korea.
"Citizens of South Korea should of course be a part of formulating unification and North Korea policies. And the public agree that policies should be in accordance with the national consensus, despite changes of administration."
Unification and North Korea policies have most of the time been a source of conflict within South Korea.
And though the general public's interest on unification has risen thanks to recent developments, 'North Korea' is still not an easy, or casual topic to discuss.
This is because of the politically sensitive nature of the topic and also the growing indifference toward North Korea, especially among the younger generation.
"I do feel some sort of ethnic connection with North Koreans, but that's it. People around my age don't really think about North Korea and it's not comfortable talking about it."
"It's most crucial to gather various opinions about what 'unification' is. And the government will continue this publicizing process until the end of this administration at least... and come up with a draft consensus that South Koreans can agree to at the minimum extent. It's impossible to come up with a perfect draft that everybody's satisfied with."
“It’s not clear whether this movement will actually lead to any written public agreement on unification. But the process of bringing people in to discuss issues and understand different viewpoints could be a good first step for the government in formulating consensus-based unification policies. Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.”
It's part of President Moon's plans to form a consensus on unification policy.
Oh Jung-hee tells us more.
South Korea's conservatives and liberals are coming together to have open conversations about their different views on North Korea... and set the foundations for possible unification.
Major civic groups from both sides of the political spectrum as well as neutrals and religious groups launched a civilian movement last week... to promote a social dialogue on unification.
Each session of social dialogue brings almost a hundred ordinary citizens and activists together... for a frank chat on North Korea and the future of the two Koreas.
The ultimate aim of this joint movement by the government and civil society is to come up with a 'National Unification Contract'-- President Moon Jae-in's goal of forming a public consensus on unification and North Korea.
"Citizens of South Korea should of course be a part of formulating unification and North Korea policies. And the public agree that policies should be in accordance with the national consensus, despite changes of administration."
Unification and North Korea policies have most of the time been a source of conflict within South Korea.
And though the general public's interest on unification has risen thanks to recent developments, 'North Korea' is still not an easy, or casual topic to discuss.
This is because of the politically sensitive nature of the topic and also the growing indifference toward North Korea, especially among the younger generation.
"I do feel some sort of ethnic connection with North Koreans, but that's it. People around my age don't really think about North Korea and it's not comfortable talking about it."
"It's most crucial to gather various opinions about what 'unification' is. And the government will continue this publicizing process until the end of this administration at least... and come up with a draft consensus that South Koreans can agree to at the minimum extent. It's impossible to come up with a perfect draft that everybody's satisfied with."
“It’s not clear whether this movement will actually lead to any written public agreement on unification. But the process of bringing people in to discuss issues and understand different viewpoints could be a good first step for the government in formulating consensus-based unification policies. Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.”